Hunting impala in South Africa

Impala scientific name: Aepyceros melampus

Hunting impala in South Africa is almost a given as their numbers are plentiful and they occur in most regions with sufficient bushveldt cover and vegetation. They are grazers and browsers making them highly adaptable to different areas with less or more vegetation. Droughts have less effect on their numbers than on any other plains game specie in South Africa. Impala have a very high rate of reproduction and are very successful in raising their young with so many eyes and ears ready to warn them against the presence of hunters and predators.

This is a small frame animal and most rifle calibers used will penetrate completely and exit on the other side making it possible to wound an animal not intended as the target.

Hunting impala in South Africa with Mkulu African Hunting Safarisis a plains game hunting experience to look forward to. Our impala hunting opportunities are not limited to a single Province as we have a variety of areas where impala hunts can be booked.

Impala are one of the top 10 most favorite animals to hunt by both foreign and local hunters due to the abundance of impala, and the relative low cost of hunting them.

Impala in South Africa can be compared to white tail deer in the USA as it is by far the most common animal that adapts to most regions without too much trouble.

Behavior

Impala rams pull the scale down to an average weight of 130 lb., while females weigh in at an average of 85 lb.

Scent glands at the bottom of the rear legs mark territories. Impala feed on grass and shrubs, tree leaves and pods and fruits when available.

After a gestation period of approximately 200 days a single lamb is born. Impala females reach sexual maturity at two years. Young males can start breeding at 12 months but are prevented from doing so by the dominant breeding rams. During the rut males become vocal by snorting and grunting all hours of the day.

Young males form bachelor herds with one or more older males during the year. When old enough, newcomers challenge breeding males for breeding rights. Vicious fights can lead to injury and even death of the opponent.

Females and juveniles live in family groups and will attract attention from territorial males waiting for any opportunity to reproduce.

Anything that eats meat will have savored impala: young impalas are used for training young cheetah and leopard to catch their own meals before upgrading to larger antelope; spotted hyena, caracal and jackal will not pass up on an opportunity to collect an impala for dinner. Even pythons like to take the odd impala.

Information on hunting impala in South Africa

Impala hunting prices South Africa

Impala hunting prices South Africa for the 2019 hunting season is $ 420.

Our impala hunting prices in South Africa are set unless major international happenings take place. In such unforeseen cases we will gladly honor the agreed upon impala hunting price prior to the start of your African hunting safari.

Caliber for hunting impala

The best caliber for hunting impala in South Africa would be a small- to medium bore rifle that you can shoot accurately and feel comfortable using.

Mkulu African Hunting Safaris suggests the following calibers as being the best calibers for hunting impala in South Africa:

243

270

7 X 57

7 mm Rem Mag

7 mm 08

308

30-06

300 WSM

300 Win Mag

8 X 64 and any other comparable calibers.

Ammunition for hunting impala South Africa

Mkulu African Hunting Safaris recommends you only use premium grade ammunition when hunting impala in South Africa.

Mkulu African Hunting Safaris preferred ammunition manufacturer is Barnes TTSX in just about any weight. Use specific weight projectiles that have a constant better performance in your specific rifle. Other premium grade ammunition manufactures you can use would be Federal Premium, Sierra and others.

Gun scope for hunting impala in South Africa

There are numerous gun scopes and gun scope brands available on the market today. It is our experience that the more costly gun scopes like Leupold and Swarovski optics certainly provide more light under darker conditions. The single most important issue would be for the gun scope to be able to withstand the recoil once you squeeze the trigger.

A good 2 – 12 X 50 gun scope should be sufficient for hunting impala in South Africa due to a wide zoom range and a long eye relief which will allow for greater flexibility to view the cross-hairs quicker.

Our advice would be to use the rifle scope you have on your favorite African hunting safari rifle.

Average impala shooting distance

The average expected shooting distance when hunting Impala in South Africa is 40 to 150 yards depending on the terrain you are hunting in.

Shot placement hunting impala in South Africa

Broadside shot

The shot should be placed right on the shoulder in line with the front leg, one third of the way up from the bottom of the brisket to the top of the back.

Quartering to shot

The shot should be placed at the spot bisecting the angle formed by the front legs, aiming at the opposite shoulder at the same height as for a broadside shot.

Quartering away shot

The shot should be placed at the spot bisecting the angle formed by the front legs on the inside shoulder aiming at the same height as for a broadside shot.

Facing to shot

The shot should be placed where the bottom of the throat meets the chest.

Shot placement diagram for hunting impala

Gallery of impala trophy hunting pictures

Impala hunting video South Africa

Tips for hunting impala in South Africa

To walk-and-stalk when hunting impala is the traditional way of going about it. Larger impala herds can be more difficult to stalk due to every member of the impala herd being alert most of the time.

Extreme caution should be applied when on the final approach. Any sudden movements will attract the attention of a weary impala and result in a no-hunt situation.

Best time of year for hunting impala in South Africa

Traditionally the bush in the best impala hunting areas is rather dense during our summer months from November to April. From June to August the bush starts to recede rather quickly and during September and October the daily temperatures start rising while the bush recedes to a minimum.

The best time of year to hunt impala in South Africa is the second week of April until the end of October and even to mid-November when the bush has receded most.